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Hungary - Tanks
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43-M Lehel
Carden Lloyd Mk VI Fiat 3000B Carro Veloce 33/35 tankettes Hungarian 39M Csaba armored cars 38M Toldi I A20 38M Toldi II B20 38 M Toldi IIa B40 38M Toldi III C40 Toldi páncélvadász Toldi eü20 Ambulance Tanks V-3 V-4 43M Toldi III light tanks 40M Nimrod anti-aircraft tank 40M Turan I 40M Turan II 40M Turan III 44M Zrinyi I 75mm 43M Zrinyi II 105mm Tas Project Tas Tank Hunter (Fight of Fancy) PzKpfw I Ausf A PzKpfw I Ausf B PzBfWg Marder II PzKpfw 38(t) light tanks PzKpfw III medium tanks Panzer III Ausf. M Panzer III Ausf. N PzKpfw IV Ausf D/F1/H/J medium tanks Panzer IV Ausf. F1 Panzer IV Ausf. F2/G Panzer IV Ausf. H Panther Ausf. G Tigers I StuG III Ausf. G Sturmgeschutz III (40) Ausf G Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Hotchkiss H35 Hotchkiss H39 Somua S35 Captured: M3 Stuart Slovak LT vz. 35 C2P T-27 tankette T-26 BT-7 T-28 T-34-76 T-34- 85 medium tanks. |
In 1938, 104 CV 35 tankettes were purchased. Also the Toldi was produced under license from Sweden (Landsverk L60B light tank).
The armored forces first fought against Slovakia in 1939. Hungary joined the Tripartite Pact in November 1940. Hungary participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia on April 10, 1941. The 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigade and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade each had a company of 20 Toldis, a company of 20 CV 35s, and 10 Alvis Straussler Csaba armored cars. Hungary entered the war against Russia on June 27, 1941 and provided the 3rd largest contingent of armored forces on the eastern front. The Gyorshadtest (Fast Corps) comprised 3 brigades with 81 Toldis, 48 Csabas, and 60 CV 35s. During the drive to the Donets River loses were severe as the tanks weren't up to the terrain. With the delay of the new Turan medium tank in production, the Hungarians bought tanks from Germany (see table). These were used by the 1st Motorized Brigade to form the 1st Hungarian Armored Division. The division fought in the Don and on the left flank at Stalingrad. During the Russian offensive of January 1943 the unit was smashed. Only 6 of the tanks made it back to Hungary in March 1943. Meanwhile the 2nd Hungarian Armored Division was being formed with the new Turan tanks. In April 1944 it was sent to Galicia in eastern Poland. The Turans were inadequate against the T-34/85s and the Germans sold the Hungarians more modern tanks of which the first were delivered in August 1944. In March of 1944 Germany occupied Hungary and forced them to commit all their armored units to the front. |